Losing a Mavic Air 2 drone in the North Sea - how to avoid a repeat? Lifeboat conversion Ep111 [4K]
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- Опубликовано: 13 янв 2024
- To HELP CHARGE ALAN'S BATTERIES for the journey north, to buy merch, and to support my videos and help them grow in scope and quality here: www.alexhibbert.com/aho
EPISODE 111
Last summer when at sea near the Farne Islands, I crashed my Mavic 2 Air into a boat railing, and it headed straight for the sea. I'm thinking of safer ways to launch and recover drones from boats.
Products mentioned:
DJI Mavic Air 2
DJI Mavic Mini 3 Pro
Feel free to ask any questions in the comments!
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Hey, I do some drone shots along rivers and lakes. Mostly for some light sailing and fishing, I suggest you the most high-tech solution: 4 small empty plastic bottles and zip ties and or duct tape, its not fancy, but it makes your drone float. Even tried a water landing which went quite well, but it was on flat water in a lake. keep up the good work
On waves I fear this would end badly. Cheers though!
I was thinking along those lines too but fill empty voids of drone with either styrofoam or expanded foam to make drone float so at least it can be recovered if disaster strikes. it would still have to be dried out and reconditioned of coarse. I like the idea of float skies aka plastic bottles.
In my last career, I worked in the film industry and did a lot of drone work including on boats. Nothing super fancy, but a lot of mavic pros and inspire 1 and 2s. I made a folding landing pad that was quite large (around 4ft sq) and found that was the best solution to avoid mishaps on both takeoffs and landings. A large flat surface allows the drone to skitter but not catch on something and flip during takeoffs when the boat isn't perfectly stable. Similarly on landing, a larger surface increases the margin of error you have, especially if the boat is underway. Somewhat counterintuitively, the ideal surface seems to be slick/smooth rather than grippy as a grippy surface encourages tips and flips as the legs get purchase on the surface while a slick landing pad lets the drone freely slide around until it naturally settles and turns off its motors. You can use low angled walls or a mesh perimeter to help avoid the drone sliding off after landing... ours wasn't that fancy, we just made sure to grab it the second it was on the ground and powered down.
Point taken on the large size, and not having friction that'll trip the unit over.
@@AlexHibbertOriginalsI’m late to the party but I have a solution. Affix a straight handle to the bottom of the drone that points straight down. Next affix a small section of vertical pipe open on both ends to your top rack. (Could double as a rod holder for fishing, or for an ensign as well when needed.) Now you can place the newly affixed drone handle in your vertical pipe to launch it. This will keep your drone safe during launches when the boat is heeling and swaying in the water. With no chance of skidding to the side during takeoffs. Retrieving the drone will also be made much easier by the length of vertical handle you applied to the bottom. No worry of getting cut by close contact with the rotors. If you still want to have netting topside it will still work for landings. Just bring the drone in to land on the netting. Once the vertical handle pokes through the netting cut the power. The handle is through the netting already and the drone will just tilt to the side cushioned by the netting.
You may end up not using it though. As you will be able to just grab the new vertical handle on your drone easily. It will also be considerably less scary if you ask someone else to catch the drone on its return. Whether it is in rolling seas, dead calm, or on terra-firma. The net could still be utilized for solo retrievals. Just as the pipe can be used for launching. Any lightweight rod can be used for the handle. You can also make the new handle easy to remove as well, with a quick disconnect or thumbscrew. Just add another short section of pipe as a receiver affixed to the base of the drone. Something in between two to three inches. Should be adequate for this. Cheers.
Should get a net with some
Droop and and smaller openings to land and just hand launch it Nice boat !! Love that set up very safe
Last commercial vessel that I inspect their life boats , one of the crew said “i dont think any life boat can sail and safe life in case of emergency “. I showed this channel , he did not say any more word 😂
Alan the Ambassador.
Every time I look at it,I think of how much it’s going to roll its guts out ! I don’t think the stern is a good idea for a drone landing pad,the best place would be the centre of the boat as it has the least motion.
Interesting as always.
Buoyancy accessories for drones tend to be well over-optimistic in their abilities and cut short the battery life even more. Net seems to be the best bet
Agreed. And the drone would still flood if it crashes.
For catching it, you could use a matress cover, alot of them have an elastic rim so easy to stretch over your railings l, soft enough to catch the drone and easy to store. Also if pulled tight could be used to take off on
Sorry to say Alex but the best way is to hand launch and catch as you act as a pretty good gimble absorbing a lot of motion.
Its easy and quick, no messing about trying to rig things to Alan, nothing to forget to move in the heat of battle on a moving platform.
To land I usually Hover the Mini 3 pro with the tail into the wind at a little above head height and arms length away.
If a gust does cache the drone It will blow away from you not into the face.
Reach out and under the drone from the rear caching the battery with thumb and fore finger tightly and then holding down on the left stick The mini 3 may fight if the wind is a little heavy but will stop the motors after a few seconds
If you must persevere with the net landing idea I suggest cutting the motors before you hit the net. This should minimize motor and blade damage. Its easy to chip a blade if its cold and under power.
I agree. Handlaunch is the best option and also to grab it from below when landing. That is how I do it with my Mavic2. After grabbing the Mavic2 i tilt it 90 degrees in the roll plane and it turns off the motors. I don't know if the mini does the same.
Remember to set the 'return to launch' to go back to where the controller is and not where the takeoff was.
I feel some sort of Fabric Mouse Pad like the Steel Series Qck or some soft foam on a piece of plywood onto of your net would be your test bet. The board will keep it level and the foam or pad will add friction to take off and landing.
Alternatively to give you a level take off pad, one of those lap desks with the bean bag bottoms and hard plastic top (combined with your foam strips) might allow you to adjust the pad to match the slope of the net for the level and stable launch pad and reduce immediate correction by the drone.
Good idea, cheers
Alex,
A thought regarding your Mavik's landing area: rather than stretching a net over the top of Alan's rails, leave the top open and enclose the sides with nets having smaller gaps or a lightweight plastic sheet. Just a thought.
Al in South Carolina, USA
For capture that's sensible. I'd still need a launch plan.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals is it possible to set the drone to auto mode for launch so you just have to hold it up and then let it go and switch back to manual mode when it´s in the air?
(ps: no experience with drones myselve
pps: maybe "rc test flight" has some ideas, he`s been doing a lot of autonomus tests)
Maybe add some long metal spikes, like knitting needles to the bottom of the drone. so it, combined with a tighter weave of net, it just kinda sticks in it.
Im sure someone has written already but you can get floats for the mini 3 so if there was a crash at least it would be retrievable. Launching from your hand is easy with a bit of practice catching it from a rocking boat could be a bit trickier mind
Hi Alex " we're gonna need a bigger net"!!! But with smaller segments.
I'd use a sheet of strong fabric attached to a shaft that you can turn to adjust the tension of the fabric. Tighten it up for take off and then slack it off for landings
A good idea
What about a box? You open and close the top with a foot pedal leaving your hands free for the controller. Put the box outside on a mount, open the top of the box drone fly up and around then comes back and lands back in box you close the top with the foot pedal. Because if landing/takeoff is in a box then no worries of hitting a railing an no need for a net. Great video as always!!!
Cheers
Wow that's really cool!!
Land in a big soft box; like a roofless padded cell for wee drones, works every time. Wait 'till you move to ROVs, that's where the fun, and the pain of loss truly begins...
Another box fan!
There are a lot of kayak fishing channels that launch by hand and retrieve by hand. When retrieving, one I saw, had about a 180mm length of thick rope dangling from the belly of the drone, you grabbed the rope and not the sharp props upon retrieval.
Thanks
Hi Alex. I've used drones for many years and on the boat I personally think there's only one way to do it and thats to hand catch and fly. On a boat with it wobbling about all over I think you will struggle to make any kind of landing platform for it. I also think the net is a bad idea. Sooner or later the drone will break on this or slip through or worse, ping out of it and go over board. My tips are:
1. Launching in the normal way with wind the right way, to push he drone away from the boat. You should be able to find a spot on the boat or just hand launch. Hand launching is easy to do with pratcise and there are many videos online to help.
2. When landing switch off the collison sensors as they will make the drone move away from your hand and it will struggle it get close due to masts and strouds etc that it senses. Bring it close and grab it underneath. It will make a fuss but hang on and then use the joysticks to switch off the rotors.
3. I also made a catching stick for my Air2S. You can buy a GoPro mount for most drones. I bought that and then just 3D printed a stick which is very light. Of course with the Mini Pro < 250g, this will push the weight into the A1 flying near people category but on the sea you hardly have to worry about that. I do think the Mini Pro may be a bit too small to add a catching stick though. I remember watching that video on "Alluring Arctic" and thinking the drone was comepletely out of balance.
4. Practise on land, then on a flat sea and then go from there.
5. Buy the drone insurance, it covers you for 2 losses in water at reduced replacement prices. Well worth it and DJI have never quibbled about claims.
Cheers for that.
On 5, I've seen the DJI and third party cover deals, and none made financial sense to me. This refurb drone cost me
£300 drone only.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals Ah yes thats a good point about the drone being refurbed. I think if you water damage the drone but can recover it, then it is the replacement cost of £120 for Air2S. If you lose it or it "Flies away" then its the more costly fee. Like all insurance it is finely balanced and would have been worth it if you didn't buy it....of course if you buy it you probably never use it!!!
Maybe the answer is getting a cheaper drone and accepting the loss now and again? I did exactly that and bought the Mini 2 for that purpose. Main issue with Mini 2 is that she doesn't take as good shots due to age and also stability in wind so the shots can get a bit jittery, so you just end up using the better drone anyway!!
One last question. Have you considered the larger white Mavics. These seem to be the ones many people use from boats as they can grab them more easily by the landing feet. On my dinghy they are too big but on your boat a possible options? Not sure if they are more expensive though?
Maybe buy a floating lading attachment? Will give a bigger landing surface. And might enable you to recover the drone
Hi Alex, I have no foolproof way of retrieving the drone on board yet, but liftoff is no problem. If you just start the rotors by moving both stick down and inward and release it overboard, it will hover. It is very scary but works well. Try it on land, it is foolproof.
I'll certainly test this over a soft landing!
Not sure if you are hooked into a brand, but out here in New Zealand you can buy drones designed for carrying fishing lines to the perfect spot. Not sure how to solve the takeoff and landing problems you are having, but these drones are designed to self right themselves and even take off from the water and may be of interest to you.
If you haven't already seen it. Can i suggest "Flying a Drone from a Boat- Tips and Strategies for Success (Episode 70)" video from Cruising Maya. I found it really useful for boat-specific drone filming.
Thanks! Sounds rather like reading the manual when you buy a device. A rarity!
Large flat board with all 4 corners bungeed to the railing hang from the centre of the board a weight on a fixed stick so that the platform is gimballed and remains relatively flat instead of rolling with the boat.
I see the logic, but fear that the weighted fixed stick would have to be very heavy to really damp the boat motion. A gimbal idea however, is in the works....
for launch, it would not be terribly hard to arrange a gimballed flat plate, with a weight on a rod below. The railings would provide a perfect base for support.
For landing, what about a collapsible, perhaps mylar or styrene conical catcher, that again is sized to the railings? The cone ensures that the drone will fall into the centre: a mesh on the bottom of the cone ensures that it doesn't fall any further. If the cone had an internal angle of under 40 degrees, I imagine that would work, but could easily be modified. Velcro attachment to form the cone, and to attach to the railings. You could even make the primary support fore and aft, and have sufficient weight that the cone would self-level for roll, with the straps acting as limits.
Everything packs down to take up zero effective space . Cost probably below $30. You could probably have the cone around the pendulum, with the launch plate above, so both can be deployed at the same time. Once launched, remove the gimbal, pendulum and plate.
I'll give this some proper thought
another thought: perhaps using your dinghy as the basis for landing would be easier. It's a natural catchment with walls, but far enough apart that no rotor strikes are likely, To recover from the dinghy, a selfie stick with a magnet on it out the back hatch seems easy enough.
A backup solution for sure. Although at sea the dinghy will be stowed.
If you do go for this solution, mabe put a box umder the launch platform so the props don't immediately catch the net when launching at an angle
Yeah, the net solves one problem and makes another.
An addition to the drone, idea. Perhaps a 1-2 mm. spring steel wire could be constructed to give the drone a bigger landing surface to increase stability in landing and takeoff. Currently, the landing surface is the size of a walkman and will tilt at fx. Touchdown. Perhaps a plate size circle could provide a better surface 🤷🏼♂️ but perhaps this is a problem creep onto another problem. Either way, the small landing and takeoff surface seems to present an issue on its own.
Agreed - having a rethink.
Slacker, We the YT public Wish ney Demand that you work 34 hrs a day 457 days a Year, making Alan content! That said ( tongue in firmly in cheek) maybe a gyroscopic stick contraption with a electro magnet dodad to hold the drone in place but level as Alans sea boinginess bops around underneath for launch, then call TB2 (International Rescue) to collect it from the fire induced sea crash that will happen often, Or give the drone floats to limit sea/water loss 🙂Alan is not (Yet) big enough for a full on helipad ;-)
Smaller mesh net seems logical, Love ya vids Cheers
Complaint noted in the manner it should be.
Hey Alex, clearly a net with 75mmX75mm or so openings would be better suited for the capture/retension of your Mi3P. Additionally, have you considered hanging the net at a 45-50 deg. angle, relative to Alans top deck? A 1mX1m square frame with a net of say 1.5mX1m would create a ‘pouch’ at the bottom of the net to hold the drone safely until retrieval. The idea is that it will be easier to fly forward into said net than trying to land on a moving deck. Hand launching from a moving deck will nearly always be more successful than a ‘stationary’ surface on said deck. Regardless, stock up on replacement props/prop screws for the Mi3P. They are very thin and brittle and fail often enough to be wary about powered impacts, like flying into a recovery net for instance. We all have, or will have, Juhos expression when we lose our first(or second) drone.
Defo worth a think.
Alex I have an idea for a drone net. I have found an old trampoline mat to be quite versatile. They're fantastic for restraining garden waste on trailers as they have many eyelets for fastening where the springs used to go.
In you application, I imagine a step trampoline mat or something similar. Once you find a workable size mat, why not rig up mounting lugs on Alan's railing specifically for quick deployment? You might be able to find a discarded step trampoline in the local recycling/tip/transfer station. They're fairly commonly discarded because they are often the product of alcohol fueled late night television purchases that people make and advertisers aim to.
Good principle. Size and storage for this one role might be a limit though.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals Step trampoline mat is only a few square feet so storage shouldn't be too bad at all.
The dji drones are not very fond of taking off while moving, so from boats is a waiting death. Plenty of sailors have experienced that. Either from deck, from your hand, from a platform up in the mast, whatever. It's going to take a dive. you Simply just need to have a backup solution for the backup solution. And maybe fly it with a float, so you at least can rescue the sd-card. That was an incredibl fitting clip from @alluringarctic LOL
Hello Alex, I feel for you I lost a drone before. For water you should look for Water landing gear for the Mini Pro. They are around 20/30$ and would prevent it to sink to the bottom in case of a crash. You can also grab the drone from the undercarriage hold it above you for the lift off, It`s a bit awkward as you kinda need a 3rd hand but it works. Same works for landing, also tricky but I`ve done it bunch of time myself .
Cheers and keep up the good work!
Sadly it would stop being a micro drone then... and could still flood and die - and not be insured.
I Fly tiny 30g drones to 20kg beast class and also lost a few dji fpv drones 1 due to it landing by itself on concrete in high winds tipped over and smashed itself up your best bet is to hand launch holding with your fingers not on anything and grab it out the air flying manually toward you have it facing away so that up down left right controls are oriented without confusing you and steady bring it close to where you can grab out the air from below carefully best to you a double tap disarm instead of the stick movement way then its easy while you secure the drone with your other hand easy practised
The bottle idea works as suggested aswell or you can get a small drone called the hulk with foam landing skids but thats a whole different game fpv compared to a camera drone
Cheers
Hi Alex, can you put some eyelets in the corners of one of your fire blankets to clip onto the railings to use as a catch net for your platform, it's on there anyway so less to carry? Also, could you mount some polystyrene skids under the drone (rather than bottles as mentioned earlier) that would hold it's weight on water to save it being another ocean ornament? Great to sea Alan again anyway.
Cheers. I like the one object - two uses.
You can launch mini from hand by just putting it flat on flat hand, trying to hold it why lunching seems like a very bad idea.
I can upload video of how I lunch from hand it that would help.
If you are planning to land in the net you may want to use emergency stop, by default pressing both sticks if I remember correctly, it will drop power to motors so they won't hit the next at full speed.
Out of silly ideals, I always wanted to make a launch platform that involves magnets. permanent on drone and either electric or machinist one on the platform.
He covers why he doesn't want to launch it from his hand in the video
@@GrizzLeeTroll13 that woman in video is holding drone by the the leg, not sure what she was expecting would happen.
Doing it properly is very easy but doesn't translate to bigger drones very well like his previous Air, it's perfect for mini though.
I don't think Juho would be happy! I've tried hand launch and capture, and lost a lot of skin from my knuckles. Plus you need two hands for the controller.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals Indeed I imagine "catching" would be extremely hard on the sea considering that it's basically landing on a hand.
I have mini 2 so I'm stuck with phone as party of controls, it's still just a button press take off and neck strap for controller is a must. Unless it's not advised on a boat, in that case no argument from me.
FYI there are many 3d printable files out there to make floats and or the mounting for RC plane floats for DJI drones.. At least that will give you a chance to recover it when it happens again.. We all know it will as it does to everyone. Also if you do not have your part 107 (for the USA) please get it.
I fear a salt flooded drone wouldn't be worth recovering. Warranty void. And the floats would make it a non micro drone, so more regulations.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals I understand about your concerns on the weight but if removable it may fall under a Safety Claus in most reg and does not count towards the overall weight like the battery in most cases is not part of the total weight . The salt water will not harm the DJI if you dunk it in fresh water within a few hours of being in salt water, it will then dry out fine as long as the salt does not have time dry and react with the air . I have done it a few times in the Gulf of NM.
I'm sure you've gotten this suggestion a lot so I'll add my voice to the den. if you attach a couple of or even one empty plastic bottle to the bottom of the Drone with like a zip tie it will keep the Drone from sinking if it falls in the water
It will, but may affect the flying ability. Plus, it'll take it over 250g, and I won't be able to fly it near roads, people etc.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals Please remember if you use your drone in the US and show it on anything that will make you money. You must have the part 107. Foam works better then bottles, and it does not take much.
For landing, a box or net cage might be better than the net hammock approach. Take off is going to remain your greatest challenge. A gyro stabilization platform founds good. But it’ll need to compensate for wind catching the platform too. I think a moderate “V” or “U” shaped fuselage craddle might be a better solution than a large platform. Still stabilized of course.
I agree on both your points.
Look into launching / landing your drone catching it by hand. I have a friend (Jared Watney) who films from yachts and this is how he does it. Takes some practice but seems to be best in the long term.
Yeah - it's fine for those practices, and ok with the risk each flight. I'm keen on developing this idea a little further.
I have that same net, it stretches a lot. On my Ute, it went from taught to almost touching the floor of the bed in a few months.
Yeah, I'm not a fan of it..
What if you glued some neodymium magnets to the feet and had the launch pad be metal, the drone would not slip but upon take off would break free from the magnets. You could then mount the platform on a gimbal where it would stay level regardless of waves?
There's a sub-tribe on the channel of magnet super-fans! Will have a think, but I feel there are lighter options.
@@AlexHibbertOriginalsjust imagine half the magnets letting go and half not letting go upon take off! They probably rust too and they are very brittle.
A launch/land platform behind Alan might get negatively influenced by wake turbulence. The little fly guy already has enough trouble,
Trouble is the name of our game, it seems.
Absolute youtube domination commencing in 3, 2, 1 ....
ps. if you can - kill the rotors in air, don't fly into the net with them spinning. the little drop into a net is far safer than possibly harming the rotors or motors. not sure if the firmware will allow it but they should have little mass and lose most of their speed quickly
I had a look at this, and they apparently do an unpredictable little dance before they drop out of the sky. Recipe for misery!
You can buy dedicated flotation devices (bit like the one on the helicopters) for about 20 quid.
This would also give it wider base and lift it higher of the ground, so it will be less likely to hit something with the blades
True, although they will take me over 250g, and if it hits the water at an angle, it'll still flood with seawater and die.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals sea water will kill everything, but you could still retrieve it, it would have bit more drag with the wind, but for 20 quid i probably would test how it would behave.
Not sure if a larger platform is the right way to go, try making the platform thicker to elevate the surface above the net. Just giving it a bit more room to prevent rotor strikes.
👍
Could you keep the net but put a square of old bed sheet or similar light material over the top of it? If it flaps it could be restrained by more ties underneath, but it would protect the drone on landing.
For take off, could you just clip the launch plate to the top of the railings, so it is flat to start with and just has to go upwards on take-off?
not knocking your engineering, but how about a large fish net? the one on a pole with a hoop on the end. set the drone to hover and just catch it in the net. and you could also use the net to grab floating items out of the water, or caught fish for that matter.
It might be more violent on the drone, as it would fight the net and not be in landing mode.
Going through the comments, I'd try the larger take off and landing pad with raised walls (Plastic or net etc) to let the drone skitter while it powers up or down. Almost like a giant pizza box. It could be worth experimenting with. Are you in position to experiment with some of the ideas in the comments?
If all else fails, use a grinder!
😂
Couldnt you catch the drone with magnets? I dont know anything about drones so I dont know how magnetic they are or if they can be retrofitted to have small pieces of metal on the underside. If you put magnets on the plattform, they should catch it. Maybe even electromagents that can be switched on/off?
Another magnet fan!
ya open the hatch and fly it right in so it cant fall in the drink.
You overestimate my piloting skills! The obstacle avoidance system would have a fit.
Simpler idea, hold the drone when sending it off, hold the drone when retrieving it.
Seems to go wrong a lot!
I like the drone capture net idea but might not a gravity gimballed launch pad work better?
Yes indeed , my current line of attack.
Have you thought about a 1 or 2 inch thick foam "mattress" you could clip to the net for landings ?
It would avoid the rotor clips for sure, but would need to be soft enough to 'capture' the drone
I know you've just bought that one but next time it decides it's time for a swim have a look at the swellpro drones, they are waterproof and built for stuff like this.
Very impressive, but an order of magnitude more expensive!
@@AlexHibbertOriginals How many swimming mavics more expensive is it actually though? Just thought I'd let you know they exist, what you choose to do with that info is between you and Alan :)
Well, this drone was 20% the cost of the cheapest Swellpro.
I wonder if there's something like the Seatriever Waterbuoy for drones. A water-activated small flotation device that would keep the drone on the surface for retrieval in case of an accident.
There are water ready drones on the market, for a cost, and weight.
Why not add propeller guards as the main issue seems to be catching them as the drone autocorrects on take off? Otherwise I think maybe a small / smaller / smallest launch pad would work better as the correction would be less likely to hit the launch pad. Third idea ... mmm ... catapult launch so the drone clears any obstacles quickly?
Catapult would get views for sure!
I don't want to add weight as it'll limit where I can legally fly.
Instead of a net, what about a sheet or blanket? I have much better luck when hand launching and landing. I always worry about the auto return to launch because the boat is never at that location.
I worry about the home return too!
a small bit of foam or a plastic bottle on your drone can keep it from sinking, that way you can atleast recover it
Flooded with seawater it's still dead/uninsured...
@@AlexHibbertOriginals true but any attacked equipment like a camera or storage can be recovered if needed
and its less plastic in the ocean
❤
As a landing pad, would something akin to astroturf be useful? Something the drone can sink into and rise out of, but that will inhibit side to side motion?
I like that
What about a rectangular frame so the drone is supported by the propeller stalks instead of the body?
It's how the larger Mavics are designed - not sure why they chose this for the mini.
A 3D printed gimbled platform on the stern? Definitely off the stern as there is less to catch on. In my limited experience I've sent off & caught by hand. Maybe a 3d enthusist RUclipsr could help with a gimbaling platform, or at least somewhat stabilizing
Colab with @ivanmiranda?
A gimbal I'm interested in.
Juho!
You can take off and land from your hand you know. It's in the manual.
And thousands have lost drones or their knuckle skin doing just that.
Is a tub (not unlike your lovely black storage crates) any better for landing? A net seems prone to snagging.
I think the sides of tubs would wreak havoc on the rotor blades on collision.
Why not just make a butterfly net? Grab it from the air?
It's possible, although a violent option as the drone would fight it.
✌😎
Have you thought about outfitting your drone with a life jacket?
An orange one?
More like discrete foam out of the rotors path just enough for the drone to float.@@AlexHibbertOriginals
Floating upside down would still kill it!
The deck off the stern is your solution. Will be nice to have not just for drone launch and recovery but also as a swim deck for your morning polar bear skinny dip. Check out this recovery at sea along with some great footage from the ocean race ruclips.net/video/2EJLApgDryg/видео.htmlsi=YPp9wqew7k6dbp0M&t=342
I think the stern will be better. Less movement as further back and lower down.
How to avoid a repeat? Buy a SplashDrone WaterPROOF Drone. Designed to land on fresh or SALT water, maneuver on water, take underwater video, and if it crashes and is inverted in the water it can flip itself back upright by reversing two of the props. Oh yeah, you can also fish with it.
www.youtube.com/@Swellpro
Neat, at a price!
All I think off is an old joke:
"How to get cheap to the USA" (From Europe)
"catapult extra large" (first seen on german-bash)
So is that an idea?
Maybe get in contact with some RC guys like PeterSripol or ProjectAir, that could be a nice challenge for them and you all can get something out of it.
But all I have is a keyboard, so what do I know.
I cool project if I had the time!
@@AlexHibbertOriginals and asking them if they like the challenge?
What's the worst that can happen?
Why not just hand launch?
He covers why apparently you didn't listen to the video
You need a catcher like Elon has for his toy.
Nice drone programme. Not that bothered.
Always good to hear your feedback.
Have I missed something ?? Why nit hand launch and catch liken everyone else who does this ?? This is more ridiculous op man rules and regulation !!
You've not seen the dozens of clips when hand launches and recoveries end up with the drone in the sea?